Sycharth

Sycharth was a motte and bailey castle near Llansilin, Powys, Wales. Until 1996 Sycharth was in the historic county of Denbighshire, but was then transferred to the Shire area of Montgomeryshire within Powys. Sycharth was the birthplace of Owain Glyndŵr. of Sycharth

Sycharth was a motte and bailey castle near Llansilin, Powys, Wales. Until 1996 Sycharth was in the historic county of Denbighshire, but was then transferred to the Shire area of Montgomeryshire within Powys. Sycharth was the birthplace of Owain Glyndŵr. of Sycharth]]

The earlier history of the castle

The castle was situated in the Welsh territory of Powys Fadog which had formed part of the Welsh Kingdom of Powys. Following the Norman Conquest two of the commotes, Cynllaith and Edeyrnion came under the control of the Normans. There seems little doubt that Sycharth or ‘Cynllaith Owain’ was originally a Motte-and-bailey built by the Normans. An entry in the Domesday Book, would indicate that this had taken place before 1086. The Normans also built a castle at Rhug that would have been the centre for Edeyrnion. These commotes passed into the possession of Madog Crypl c1275-1304, described as Lord of Glyndyfrdwy and Lord of Cynllaith Owain. Madog was a direct descendant of the Princes of Powys and Gruffudd Fychan II, the father of Owain Glyndŵr, was probably his grandson. Owain Glyndŵr inherited Sycharth in 1369 and it was here that Glyndŵr lived with his wife Margaret Hanmer and their children. File:Sycharth, Llansilin 01.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and Bailey Castle, Llansilin, Powys File:Sycharth, Llansilin 10.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and Bailey Castle looking towards Llansilin File:Sycharth, Llansilin 03.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and Bailey Castle and adjacent farmhouse File:Sycharth, Llansilin 04.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and Bailey Castle with the woodland of Parc Sycharth File:Sycharth, Llansilin 05.JPG|Sycharth, Motte from the south. File:Sycharth, Llansilin 06.JPG|Sycharth, Looking from inner bank to Medieval fishpond. File:Sycharth, Llansilin 07.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and bank on N side. File:Sycharth, Llansilin 08.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and bank on N side.

Literature

Burnham, Helen, A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Clwyd and Powys, 1995, CADW/HMSO Davies, R R, The Revolt of Owain Glyndwr, 1995 Hague, Douglas & Warhurst, Cynthia, Excavations at Sycharth Castle, Denbighshire 1962–3, "Archaeologia Cambrensis" 1966 vol. 115, 108–27 Higham, Robert & Barker, Philip, Timber Castles, Batsford, London, 1992 Johnston Dafydd, Iolo Goch: The Poems, Gomer Welsh Classics Series, Llandysul, 1993. Richards, R., The mediaeval castles of north Montgomeryshire: a topographical survey. "Montgomeryshire Collections" 1942, Vol. 47 p. 164-82 Richards, R., 'Sycharth " Montgomeryshire Collections' 1948, Vol. 50 p. 183-8 Smith, Spencer Gavin, Report on the Geophysical and Historical Survey at Sycharth Motte and Bailey, "Transactions of the Denbighshire Historical Society", Vol 52, 2003, pp17–36 Details on Castlefacts * BBC video [https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/media/pages/h_medieval_sycharth.shtml

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